The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-08-14
A scientisvs Prolusions.

A scientisrs Prolusions.
Some of the essays and discourses lately
published or delivered by Sir JOHN LUBBOCK
have. after undergoing revision and enlarge
ment. been reprinted In book form by the Ap-
pletons under the collective title Of The Pleas
,res of Life. Very readable and In their way
suggestive are these papers. although so pro-
fuse are the quotations that they seem moro
like extracts from the commonplace book Of
man OF letters than original studies by q man
hitherto distinguished for independent work
in special fields OF scientific research. Now
and then. however as in the discourses on
Science" and Education" We meet with
such predictions and convictions as we would
naturally expect from Sir John Lubbock. On
such topics his dicta carry more weight than
attaches to his conception Of a course OF gen.
eral extra scientif1c) reading embodied in his
list OF a hundred authors, or to the species OF
rhapsody on the charms Of literature which he
terms "A Song Of Books"
Sir John Lubbock belongs to the small mum.
Der OF scientists-much smaller In England
than in France-who have always been at
pains to present the results Of their investiga-
lions in lucid and pleasant literary form. He
Is one Of the few therefore, who have right
to call it altogether q mistake to regard sci.
on the contrary, that much Of 1t is as easy as
It Is interesting" and he goes on to Justify this
rather paradoxical assertion by protesting that
technical works, descriptions OF Species &c.
bear the same relation to science as diction-
aries do to literature" Inasmuch, however. as
no scientific treatise could with requisite pre-
cision convey its meaning II It entirely
eschewed technical terms, 1t follows that
a knowledge Of the technical vocabulary
is indispensable even to the cursory student
In any department Of research, so that after
all some dry. difficult. and prosaic" work
cannot be avoided. Thus, while for readers
possessed Of some preliminary training 1t may
be true that writer's like Tyndall, Huxley. and
Lubbock himself have come near to fulfilling
Lord Chesterneld's wish that Athene. as well
as Aphrodite. might be attended by three
graces. it remains as true as ever 1t was that
for tho tyro the Goddess Of Wisdom has not dis
cardei the Gorgon's head There is still
good deal OF significance in the myth which
made Athene spring from the brains OF Zeus.
but not until the paternal skull had been split
open by an axe.
We fear that Sir John Lubbock expresses
wish, rather than q prophecy which any man
now living Is destined to see fulfilled, when he
announces tho belief that the study OF natu-
raj history seems destined to replace the loss
OF what is. not very happily. I think. termed
sport" There is, indeed, some reason for
opining that the wholesale slaughter OF Gagged
innocents. known as pigeon shooting, will soon
be classed with cock fighting, bull fighting,
and bear batting in highly civilized commune
ties, but we can perceive as yet no evidence
that grouse and pheasant shooting or fox
hunting are on the wane. Again. when the
author passes to the possible influence OF
science upon the future prosperity Of the Eng
lish nation. it seems to US that he weakens his
case by overstating it. After pointing out
that the actual population Of the British Isles
Is over 35. 900 900. he assumes that 1t will 20 on
for hundred years increasing at the present
rate. which would mean 140,000.O00 inhabi-
tants in 1890. What but science, he natu-
rally asks, can solve the problem OF
procuring food for such portentous
body of people2 But II anything in this
world Is certain 1t is that Great Britain's pop
ulation will not hereafter expand in anything
like the ratio exhibited in the last fifty years.
1t is, upon the whole. more probable that, as in
the case of ireland since 1876. emigration will
reduce it below its present volume. Not only
Australasia and Canada but tho United States
are likely to experience in the next half CEN
fury an influx Of En2lishmen and Scotchmen
on colossal scale. and some unexpected polit-
ical results may follow.
As to the well-known lines which it seems to
US that Sir John Lubbock quotes rather I'M
aptly for his purpose.
The light optspeedIng telegraph
Bears nothing on its beam,
we could wish to hear him say distinctly
whether he really thinks that any OF the mes
sages sent on the electric wire In our day
across continents or under oceans are really In
themselves more weighty and worth sending
than those despatched from Athens by trireme
or foot messenger in the time OF Pericles. II
he answer in tho affirmative. we could wish
to hear him reconcile this opinion with his ap-
parent assent elsewhere indicated to Mr.. Gal
toms deliberate conclusion that the Tree
bornl population OF Athens, taken as
q whole, was as superior to us as We
are to the Australian savages." We would
also have been glad to see the author OF these
papers demonstrate In detail, instead OF assum-
ing as self-evdent, that physical science-in
science metaphysical the race which produced
Plato and Aristotle noed fear comparison with
no modern people," will raise and strengthen
tho national as surely as the individual
character" II, in any age OF the world
physical science has been operative as q
national educator, II has been during the
last eighty years. Will Sir John Lubbock seri-
ously contend that the national character, as
distinguished from the general enlightenment
Of tho French. or for that matter. Of the